All Journalism School in a Day

Saturday, 13 October 2012 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Team J-School Washington Post

Past

Being a journalist means a lot more today than it did, say, 30 years ago. Media outlets are no longer restricted to print, TV, radio and Xeroxed pamphlets handed out on street corners. Maybe you want to become a respected neighborhood blogger; perhaps your goal is to write 8,000-word stories for the Atlantic. Or Cat Fancy. Regardless, you want to impart information to your audience in a responsible, engaging manner. This inter-session class—an experimental J-school in a day—will send you on your way with (most of) the tools you need to get started as a journalist.

Please refrain from signing up if you can’t stay the whole day.

Interview Anyone: Becoming a great interviewer takes practice. We’ll help you bypass rookie mistakes and send you out into the real world armed with solid techniques for extracting good quotes from your subjects. 55 minutes

Break: Exercise for the desk-bound journalist with Express’ fitness editor.

Be Interesting: We’ll cover writing/organizing a story for maximum reader enjoyment and — something we think is equally important — how to bring your voice into your work. You can make any story sound like you. 55 minutes

Eating and Employment: We’ll talk about pitching stories (for freelance gigs) and yourself (for jobs). Please bring a lunch that doesn’t require refrigeration. 1 hour, optional

Edit Anything: Any piece of writing can be improved. That writing might be yours, so we’ll teach you to self-edit. That writing might be other people’s, so we’ll teach you to tear their work to shreds in a tactful and constructive manner. 55 minutes

Copyedit Anything: For those of you who’ve taken Edit Anything, or are simply more interested in style/grammar. 55 minutes

Break: TBA.

Don’t Get Into Trouble: Also known as ethics. We’ll hit the highlights: plagiarism, quote handling, media law basics and generally being a responsible and professional writer/reporter/editor. 45 minutes

The End! You’re welcome to stay and ask questions.

Note: We won’t be talking much about hard news (politics reporting, how to become a foreign correspondent), broadcast (that’s a whole ’nother day of classes) and basic grammar (we assume you’ve got a firm handle on that).

Location

Washington Post
1150 15th St. NW
Washington, DC 20071
Neighborhood: McPherson Square
Between L and M streets NW

Past event

Instructor

Diana D’Abruzzo has worn many hats in the newspaper industry: reporter/writer, features editor, news editor, page designer and copy editor at papers in North Carolina and Virginia. She also taught two semesters of copy editing and design at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. Her current role is copy chief at the Washington Post Express.

Vicky Hallett edits Express’ weekly Fit section and writes the DC Rider column. She’s also one half of the MisFits, the Washington Post’s fitness team.

Rachel Kaufman is a freelance writer whose work has been published in National Geographic News, Scientific American, Inc., the Washington Post, Express and more. She has sent perhaps a half-quazillion query letters in her career and received almost as many.

Beth Marlowe edits Ready to Rent, Digs and Ahead for Express. She previously covered politics at WhoRunsGov.com and the Washington Post.

Holly J. Morris has been a writer and editor for 15 years, first at U.S.News & World Report, then at Express. She enjoys editing anything that passes before her eyes.

Kristen Page-Kirby covers film for Express and writes the weekly column “The Reelist.” She believes Triscuits are the best crackers.

Chris Simpson is a professor of journalism at American University and one of the founders of Knowledge Commons DC. He teaches media law, with specialties in legal aspects of libel, privacy, copyright and access law. Prior to his appointment at AU, Simpson was a working journalist for 15 years.

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